Convert a PDF to grayscale
Remove the colour from every page — usually a large size reduction, and much cheaper to print.
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This tool rebuilds each page as an image. That is what makes the change permanent — but it also means the text in the result is no longer selectable or searchable. If you need the text to stay live, use a tool from the Edit family instead.
Select a PDF file
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Accepted formats: PDF
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Quick facts
- What it does
- Converts a PDF's pages to black and white.
- Input
- Output
- Processing
- In your browser
- Files uploaded?
- No
- Account required?
- No
- Best for
- Cutting print costs, or preparing a document for a monochrome printer.
- Main limitation
- Pages are rebuilt as images to guarantee the conversion, so the text in the result is no longer selectable.
How to use this tool
- Upload your PDF.
- Choose the output quality.
- Click "Convert to grayscale".
- Download the black and white PDF.
Why use iBuildPDF
Print shops charge several times more per colour page, and a colour document sent to a mono printer often comes out with muddy greys you did not choose. Converting deliberately gives you control over how it will look.
How it works
Each page is rendered, desaturated and written back as an image. That is what makes the change permanent and predictable — and it is also why the text in the result is no longer selectable. If you need live text, print to a mono printer instead of converting the file.
Frequently asked questions
Will the file get smaller?
Usually yes, often substantially, because grey pixels compress far better than colour ones. A document that is mostly text may not shrink much, since the text was never the expensive part.
Can I get the colour back?
Not from the result — the colour information is discarded. Keep your original.
Why is the text no longer selectable?
Because each page becomes an image. There is no way to strip colour from live text objects reliably across every PDF ever made, so this tool takes the approach that always works and tells you the cost.
Which quality setting should I pick?
Balanced for almost everything. Higher quality renders at twice the normal scale and compresses lightly, which is worth it for a document full of photographs you intend to print. Smaller file is visibly softer and exists for getting a bulky scan under a size limit.
My file got bigger instead of smaller.
That happens with a document that was mostly text. Text costs very little to store and a full-page image costs a great deal, so replacing one with the other can add size rather than remove it. If a smaller file was the point rather than mono printing, use Compress PDF instead.
Will it print properly in black and white?
Yes, and doing it deliberately beats leaving it to the printer driver. Colours are converted by their perceived brightness rather than averaged, so red text stays dark and pale blue stays pale instead of everything collapsing into the same grey.
Read more about this
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